Month: November 2019

Advent. You’re here again. It won’t be long before houses are covered in lights. Trees lit. Nativity scenes set up. Choir concerts. Ugly jumper parties. Holly and ivy. Red and green ribbons. Frazzled shoppers exhaling sighs of relief as they finally pull out of the mall traffic. H Samuel, Pandora, Ernest Jones and your local jeweller finalising their ad space—much to the chagrin of singles everywhere. Christmas marketing and hype—not to mention a few ill-timed but well-meaning lines turned jabs …

Making contact or meeting in person can be daunting for those who are shy. And it’s a common reason for not trying online dating. So is it possible to overcome these feelings – and if so, how do you do it?

There can be confusion between shyness and introversion, but the two don’t always go together. Shyness can be based on a fear of social judgement and embarrassing situations, whereas introversion is defined by needing time alone to rebuild energy …

So, you’ve been on a few dates with someone, or have started a relationship, and it’s going well – there’s good chemistry, you seem to get along, and you’re feeling hopeful that they’re a keeper. But how can you tell if someone has real potential as a partner?

‘I don’t trust my judgement anymore, HopefulGirl,’ one reader told me. ‘I’ve made mistakes, misread people and ended up in horrible relationships.’ Most of us have been there. I’ve certainly dated individuals …